A Closer Look At Deep Tunnel Defense

CHICAGO — Chris Backe`s defense of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District`s safety record on the Deep Tunnel, as well as his attack on the National Safe Workplace Institute (Voice, Jan. 13), demand a response.

First, the institute has not said that Deep Tunnel is the most dangerous public works construction project of all time. We have, however, reported that Deep Tunnel is one of the most dangerous construction projects undertaken since 1975. To compare Deep Tunnel with the projects mentioned by Mr. Backe

(Hoover Dam, Brooklyn Bridge and Holland Tunnel) would be like comparing a B-1 bomber with a steam engine.

When compared with similar wastewater construction or tunneling projects, Deep Tunnel runs into trouble. The U.S. General Accounting Office has issued a report documenting the serious problems on Deep Tunnel. Neither the institute nor the GAO fabricated the 10 deaths, dozens of disabling injuries and 192 federal safety violations recorded for this project.

Second, Mr. Backe, as a supplier of equipment to contractors, is hardly qualified to render informed judgments on Deep Tunnel safety problems. As a supplier, he certainly has not gone underground where most of the violations and problems have taken place. Surely, Mr. Backe is inclined to further ingratiate himself with the contractors he serves, a consideration that may have motivated his letter to The Tribune.

We do agree with Mr. Backe that an impartial study of the district`s record is welcome. The district, however, has avoided seeking such a study. Indeed, it did seek a study by an organization with multiple contractual relationships with the district-hardly an impartial group. And that study was repudiated by a peer reviewer and attacked by a past president of the American Society for Safety Engineers.

Mr. Backe insists that one`s views by ``tempered by some common sense and a hard look at the facts.`` We could not agree more. If anything is clear to us, it is that Mr. Backe has not read either of our reports on Deep Tunnel`s problems.

As one would expect, Mr. Backe ended his letter by calling us a

``gadfly.`` Once again, Mr. Backe has not done his homework. According to our dictionary, a gadfly is often one who rouses people from their